The invention relates to a flexible piezo-electric membrane, and specifically to a membrane which is suitable for use in an ultrasound transducer.
Known piezo-electric membranes operate under very tight voltage and frequency constraints. Additionally, such membranes exhibit piezo-electric effects by curling or twisting. Such effects limit the use of such membranes as ultrasonic transducers.
A number of forms of ultrasound transducer are known. The vast majority of ultrasound transducers incorporate some form of ceramic or metallic element which may have piezo-electric characteristics. In other instances, laminated membranes are disclosed which exhibit piezo-electric characteristics. The aforementioned devices, while suitable for their intended purposes, suffer a limitation in that the piezo-electric device is of relatively thick cross-section and therefore requires some form of carrier for supporting and activation of the piezo-electric device.